Process of stiffening hats.



UNITED STATES PATENT Fetc JOHN HENRY NEAVE, e RAINOW,'ENGLAND, AND FELIX new, 0F

PARIS, FRANCE. I

"Pao'csss e STlF FENlN'G HATS sree'mcmen fsreiingixm df Le'ttvs' 1ate1 1t No. as i ,eee, e 5 1 Appllcatien filee Nev'eniber 29, 1898. Serial No. 697,745. (No specimens.)

To rtl ltb homithmy tori/eerie: 'ei'entdegree o'ft lieat tofmelt the shellac and 1}e:i t kxib'wh tliat \e, -J' 'HNHENRY NEAVE, to cause it to crystallize, ads under the pie of Rai1 iow,'e'gmxigfefMaeelesfield,England, viouemethod, subjected te -a washing or {Lll tlfFELIX DEEEAN Of 'Pari's Franee,-11ave eleahin g'operation to elearthe surplus soluiliventedfajileivand useful Imprevemeet in 'tien fremthe surface, it'being possible While 'Pi'e'eesses of stiffening IIats, 0f 'whieh the the shellac'is in this conditiont'o more thorfellotvihgi's aspe'eification. 4 7 e 'ehghly free it from the hatthan if it were m This inveiitio'n' has'r'eferencetethe manm- *in a crystalline and stiff condition. ,The regfa'eture dfifelthatser hatsofianalegous ma 'suit ef theelearing-of thesn-rfaee of the hat 1o tei'ial's, and t elat'sjhore particularly to the at thisstage isthat the shellac i's freed from stiffening bf the 11m. 7 I

v L r the hat 'teia censiderable extent, remaining in the maiiufaeturei 'only'i'n th'einteribr of the hahthereby avoid.-

. U Itvh'a's beeh the ehstoin' 'efi l e/6 1;, as far as "yve are'avvfllfi, -infstiffening' ing: anyliability of its being brought to'the l the same to appl ta the hat a solution don-f surface by any fihishing process or treatment '1'5 mi ng; re'si'no'lis' OifhhalwhSmateriaIafifii. 11D,-ssihie 'itmightihereaiterJaesuhjeetad. thenfimmedi'atelysubject it to the'aetienef fiveprefehto'efieet theelea'ring of the surhe t taidegre'suffleieiitto melt'the fesih face by stretehingthe hat overa rotary block eels ii'at'eri'ah which on 'soonu assumes and perzhitting'water to flow thereon, the v lerystalline "geoiidltibn "andjrenders' the hat: cleansing heing efieeted by rubbing a brush 2'0 i stiff The 's'q'lfae'e was then cleared by the in 'eeutaet with the rapidly-moving surface of action efet'eaiii, by rlibhi'n'g itfwith an abrathe hat. The'bloek'Shouhlbe driven at from I sive 's'ub'stanee, or hys'libje'etifig'it'to ahalka-r two hundred. to, three. hundred revolutions liheba'th. 'l lie're'slilt et-thes'e operations is per min ute,"andfwhile the Water trickles ever that the stiifen'ii i'girlaterial being hean'the surthe surface of the hat it is brushed by the 5 2'5 .f'aee ofthe-hatis liahleto bebroug'ht to the sur attendant,- the result being that the surface face andfthe surface" therebymarred by the "is therenghl cleansed of the shellac and the sxibsequentfiiallipxilatienof the hatto'finish material of the hat freed of the shellac to a it. Itis the aim of eurihventienprimarily to considerable depth. After the surface is suf- 'avoldthe'lliahilityef jthestifien'ing]riiaterial' fieiently elemis'edth'e water remaining maybe 8o {bei-hg hge 'g htite the, shi'faee after thelatter removed bypl'acing thehat on a block similar is cle'a ed; ahd'tethis end our invention 0011- tqthat justdeseribefi'ancl rotating the same j sistgbroadly, ihapplying the stifieliing mate- 'atifrem twelve hundred to fifteen hundred ria'lin ah amm phoiis condition, then subjeetrevehitiens-per minute, The hat is thenthop 'in'g the surface o i'the'hatto afclearingpree oughlydriediujasxfitabl nlanner, hutpreefless t'e remevethejslirgilus material, and. iinally' erahlyby the' applieatieu 0!? a; moderate Ge .deigre'e'of 9136 ;thfl-atifieifing'matenal; hei t aeeerding te thegq'ualitytefi theshellae and'ea jftejassumefajeryetallinec'ondi "0r-thestilfienlngma eriah lmtsuflicie ,h W- tien "lid'therebyjetifien thehat. 4 v :er', amen the shellae which is left in the 9 '1 ree'e'eding'to nan-y 'eiir'ihventien inteheklyefthehah 'aria after being dried in this 'p pare a heth'ei'the stiflem' manner anys'hell efremaihingou the surface 'whlh tiieiyeonsist Ufa solution irti'ay be easilyatjd; quickly removed in the nuns 'gii'm-such-es, resin or she1= form of powder by brushing. The hat is now ,1 v M hilyltlie '1atter-'-,With the proper. subjected to the action of heat suifieient te i .7 O in ken; {This bath is prepared melt the shellac. We prefer to accomplish u'al i151 Well-known manner, the Tthls'by: subjecting the hats; twelve to eighteen. i ahiamorphous or n'ou-crysat price, on a block in a chamber to asteam ditio'uz" Thehat to be stifiened is bath. The steam should have free eirealae ta ..'n ef0n r i a-treagtediiii this bath in the usual manner by" tiou through the chamber, but not undeli 55 immersion or otherwise; It is now instead pressure. The effieet Of the bath will be tfl ei being subjeeted tethe igfieeeee of a snfli'. melt the shellac, which on assuming a cry" talliiie condition will impart to the hat the necessary stiffness.

From the foregoing description it is seen that by our process the shellac is retained in an amorphous condition, in which condition it may be freely removed from the nap and from the surface, whereas in the methods previously employed the shellac is caused to assume a'crystalline form immediately after its application and is in this way fixed tightly upon the surface of the hat as well as in its interior. By our process we keep the shellac in its amorphous condition, so that it can be readily removed. from the surface by brushing or washing, and after the surface is thus effectually and thoroughly cleaned we cause the shellac to assume a crystalline condition.

\Vhile we have described the washing process as the primary means for removing the surplus stiffening material; it is to be understood that this-step of the process may be dispensed with and the surplus material removed in powdered form by brushing or otherwise acting on the surface of the hat after the'latter is dried subsequent to the application of the stiffening material.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is- 1. The improved process of stitfening hats, which consists in applying ther to resinous material in an amorphous condition, removing that portion of the said material which is at the surface of' the hat, and finally causing the remaining resinous material below the surface to assume a crystalline form.

2. The improved process of stifiening hats, which consists in applying to the same a resinous material in an amorphous condition, subjecting the surfaceof the hat toawashing process, drying the same, subjecting the-sur-- face to a brushing action, and finally causing the remaining resinous material to assume a, crystalline form.

3. The improved process of stiffening hats,

which consists in applying to the hat a resinous material in an amorphous condition, removing the material from the surface of the hat and subjecting the hat to a steam-bath to cause the remaining resinous material to crys-' tallize.

4. The process of stiffening hats, which con sists in applying to the same shellac or analogous resinous material in an amorphous condition, subjecting the hat to a washing action to remove the shellac from its surface, drying the hat, subjecting the dried surface to a 

